OPINION: ‘Work with us, not against us, on recycling’

As retailers and as consumers, we have a role to play in reducing waste, recycling and improving the environment we all share.

This can include educating our customers, contributing to local recycling hubs, reducing the waste we produce and, of course, contributing to the council’s recycling efforts through business rates taxation.

Kerbside recycling is potentially one of the most politically sensitive local issues for councils, with cuts and changes drawing the ire of residents

However, it is also a responsibility shared by suppliers, councils, recycling specialists, wholesalers and the UK Government, and solutions must incorporate all of these parties and share any burden between them – not just retailers and suppliers.

For this reason, I have grave concerns about the impact of a deposit return scheme on independent retailers.

There are questions of space, cost, competition, hygiene and resource allocation that have not been answered, and represent a threat to our businesses. But more importantly, there’s the question of opportunity cost – could the resources being used for DRS be better applied elsewhere?

Kerbside recycling is potentially one of the most politically sensitive local issues for councils, with cuts and changes drawing the ire of residents.

The result, quite often, is that those who do their part by recycling find themselves with no space left in their recycling bins, and a surplus of space in their household waste bin.

Despite the political pressure, recycling targets and increased consumer awareness, we are yet to get kerbside right. Knowing this, what confidence can the public have that the introduction of a complex logistical reverse supply chain system like DRS will help?